


Through the crowd, I’d find you

by blue_spectrum



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-09
Updated: 2014-09-09
Packaged: 2018-02-16 19:32:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,704
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2281914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blue_spectrum/pseuds/blue_spectrum
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Miracle’s bar holds a special event tonight: the open microphone. Regular clients and newcomers have a chance to perform in front of the audience; some use the opportunity to show their own work and others to show their feelings.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Through the crowd, I’d find you

**Author's Note:**

> (Unbetaed, but I tried my best). There's alcohol intake, but it's all nice and legal so you don't need to worry.  
> I'd like to thank everyone that has given kudos to my works and/or bookmarked them. You wonderful people make me happy! I really liked how this turned out, so please take this as a token of appreciation.  
> About the fic, I'd just like to point out that while this was on the works, Ono Kensho's performance of Kimi ga Hikari de aru tame ni came out and it influenced this piece. Which was really good, because I was having trouble with the general feel of this.  
> (If anyone is interested, I've posted a few drabbles on my tumblr that I will not be posting here until I gather enough to make a collection if/when that happens... So, they're at blue-spectrum.tumblr.com )

Every once in a while, there was a special event at the _Miracle’s_ bar. Their open microphone night attracted regular performers as well as curious customers and daring debutants. Everyone could have their turn at taking the stage, be it to show their work, their feelings or just to have fun.

Amidst the expectant crowd, sitting alone at a table, Kuroko sipped from his vodka berries with a touch of vanilla, quietly observing the occupants of the place. He was there because of Kise’s insistence, who had managed to drag him once again into the bar in the hopes that Kuroko would finally perform and everyone could hear his, quoting, “angelic voice”.

The night had been lively, as it always was during the event, and the air was vibrant with excitement, no one knowing what would come next. No one except Kuroko, who personally knew the owner of the list of participants that had signed up at the start of the night; namely, Kise.

His name was going to be called soon, he knew. Oh, he was bad at this kind of thing. He shouldn’t do it, he shouldn’t. It was still time to make a strategic exit and no one would be the wiser. Kise would just call his name, people would wait for a few seconds, and the night would go on as if nothing had happened, everyone forgetting there was ever a name called and unanswered.

He was about to make his usual act of disappearance when the next name was called. Kise, who served as the host for the open mic nights, introduced him as an American returnee that would tell them about his experience being back in Japan, being a Japanese, but feeling like a foreign in his motherland. This guy, Kagami, had said the blond? He was huge. Six feet tall and muscular, with intense eyes that could start a fire in anyone’s soul. At least that’s what Kuroko felt. The guy, Kagami Taiga, he had said when he took the stage, sent the crowd a considering look that bordered on menacing, before he sat and arranged his guitar.

Kuroko didn’t get up to escape, like he thought of doing. Instead, he was glued to his place, eyes fixated on that imposing figure. There was something to him, to his practical foreignness that couldn’t but attract him. Maybe it was the subtle fragility to his eyes, or the bashfulness of his demeanor, or how he seemed uncomfortable in his own big limbs and the tiny space reserved for the chair in front of the microphone, clearly thought for the average Japanese and not huge Americans.

Kuroko stayed there, listening to that stranger wax poetic about his experience, talking about feeling like a fish out of water, about how he had to learn how to read all over again at age 22. He was blinding, he was all but shining on stage, with honest words just flowing from his mouth, playing gently some accords on his guitar to accompany them. He talked, and he sang, both naturally mixing up together. Kuroko was transfixed and he couldn’t get over himself. There was no escape. That voice and those eyes had captured him. Their evident fire, but more than that, the subtle tenderness and honesty to his singing were melting his soul.

Without really noticing, without anyone really noticing, the crowd was freed from their stupor and started clapping enthusiastically some seconds after Kagami’s last words. His improvisation had drawn the attention of absolutely everyone at the bar.

Kise took the stage to thank Kagami for his wonderful performance, he himself apparently just awakening from the trance that the redhead’s presentation had caused. He called the next name once.

Kuroko was still following Kagami’s figure, moving to sit at a table with a blond woman and a dark haired man, when he noticed that the next name was actually _his_ name.

He made use of his special ability, misdirection, to take the stage without anyone noticing. There he claimed to have been there for a while and played the fool when Kise gasped, suddenly aware of his presence. Tetsuya made visual contact with the redhead, _Kagami-kun_ , who smiled slightly at the brief comedy happening on stage. That had been a mistake. Suddenly, Kuroko couldn’t look away and the redhead wasn’t looking away either. Meanwhile, Kise introduced Kuroko as one of his precious ex-classmates at school and said that it was his first time on stage. Polite applause ensued and finished, Kuroko was left alone on stage, still undoubtedly connected to this bright and powerful presence that was Kagami Taiga.

“Hello”, he said without breaking eye contact. He couldn’t. He wouldn’t. There was this strange hum going through his body, this weird feeling of rightness when looking at the redhead. Even if their connection lasted no more than another five seconds, even if they had only shared a breath of air passing each other on the street… even so, Kuroko felt like their encounter had changed him. “I am Kuroko Tetsuya and I would like to dedicate this presentation to Kagami-kun” the redhead didn’t even blink, “because his words have completely taken over my mind and my heart”

With that, he sat behind the keyboard available on stage and played some scales to warm up. There was no going back now. The moment he had avoided since Kise first convinced him to attend the open mic at the _Miracle’s_ bar had finally come, hand in hand with a stranger, with Kagami Taiga.

He knew what he was going to play, but Kuroko changed his plan at the last second. He had rehearsed and perfected one song for the occasion, a cover, but suddenly he needed to show himself and play something of his own.

He started playing.

Slowly, the notes left his fingers, gaining confidence with every second. The melody was like a soft sigh, turning into overpowering jasmine tea, leaving a strong and misadjusted flavor in the mouth. Bitter memories mixed with sweet remembrance, the lyrics talked of losing hope, of losing people to the wrong motives. Of storms falling abruptly after looming behind the highest mountain; the unavoidable disaster waiting for the ignorant of their own destiny.

Without stopping to let his heart breath, Kuroko followed with a second song, one that talked about a love he didn’t know if existed or if he wanted to find. A lighthouse missing after being blindsided to the point of losing every trace of hope.

The crowd was respectfully silent, was what Kuroko first noticed. But he was wrong: they were astonished. His words had talked directly to their souls, as if they could go through their flesh and communicate with the shadows of their hearts, the darker parts of life that they generally ignored in favor of focusing on the brightness of day.

When he finished, the silence stayed. At some point, he had looked down to his hands over the keyboard, forgetting when he had closed his eyes, and unable of keep looking to the redhead when he was baring his feelings out. Now, Kuroko looked up slowly and froze in an instant, as if he just had the most wonderful dream and was trying to forge it into memory. Some people were quietly nodding, wet traces running down their cheeks. Some were smiling longingly, eyes full of emotion. Others still had their eyes closed, probably trying to hold into part of the turmoil of feelings raging inside of them.

Again, Kise took his time to get to the stage, failing to covertly dry tears from his eyes. He couldn’t finish his “thank you” when the audience erupted in claps. They weren’t vivid and infinitely vigorous like Kagami’s had been, but slow and deliberate, deep and constant, like the echo of a thousand heartbeats working in unison.

Kuroko went to his table, every step directed by the never ending cheers of the crowd, and politely bowed before taking his seat. Kise just waited smiling, proud of his friend and clapping himself, until he seated. Then he thanked Kuroko for everything and introduced the next guest, a regular performer of the open mic night at the _Miracle’s_ bar.

Kuroko breathed, adrenaline still numbing his ears. Kise was supposed to sit with him, but because he was the host, he had to go around the tables and to the kitchen and generally be busy with administrative tasks, so Kuroko was left alone at their table for most of the night. The blond was the only one of Kuroko’s acquaintances that could attract so much people without regard of the situation, so he was always trusted to host these types of special events.

“So, you were pretty good tonight. Heard the blond guy say it was your first time”

Kuroko was surprised, but he didn’t let it show on his face. He had been so absorbed in his thoughts, in the pleasant feeling going through his body, that he had missed the tall man that stood next to his table.

“Thank you, Kagami-kun”

Kuroko loved words. Until that point in his life, he had thought he’d never ever love anything or anyone as much. Facts were challenging that belief at that very second. “ _Kagami-kun_ ” rolled effortlessly from his mouth and he had enjoyed enormously the two times he had said it.

Again, their eyes were locked. The American’s eyes set a fire that ignited absolutely everything Kuroko was to the deepness of his core. And he was sure that wasn’t the vodka talking.

“Would it be ok if I-?” started the redhead, gesturing awkwardly in the direction of the empty chair.

“Yes, yes, please, have a seat”, answered Kuroko all too quickly, amazed at his own lack of composure.

They sat, now avoiding each other’s eyes, pretending to listen to the guy playing on stage. Kagami started:

“I don’t know how you do it here, but- Lemme buy you a drink?”, and then rushed: “If that’s ok with you”

Kuroko smiled softly, and yes, maybe it was the vodka making him bold enough to actually show his smile. But for that, he was grateful.

“Yes, Kagami-kun. It is alright”

And it really, _really_ was.


End file.
